Casefile A7109986 Codename Harry
by AssortedFudge
Summary: Meet Agent Evans, living alone in a tiny flat with her cat for company. One year on from an ugly break-up with senior agent James Potter, the two are thrust together again on protection detail for "The Asset"... Codenamed "Harry". Non-magic AU.
1. Cast List

Title: Casefile A710998-6; Codename "Harry"

Rating: T (for swearing and a few little innuendos, nothing major)

Disclaimer: I own nothing, etc.

AN: I've seen a few AU fics on here where there is a chapter at the beginning just explaining the main characters and I've found it helpful so I decided to do it with this story, seeing as there isn't a lot of background in the first chapter so it might be confusing. If you can't be bothered reading it, just skip to chapter 1 :) This will be updated as more characters are introduced!

The Cast!

Lily Evans: MI5 Agent specialising in protection detail. A well-liked agent in her field but suffering a career set-back after a disagreement with senior agent, James Potter, a year before the story. Enjoys a drink or four in a run-down bar near the agency.

James Potter: MI5 senior agent, fast rising up the ranks. Arrogant, self-confident. Deceased father was a famous agent within the department; he has to live up to the reputation which he finds difficult. Lives with disgraced former agent Sirius Black whose father was a very successful businessman with ties to terrorism that could never be proven. Had a brief relationship with Lily Evans which ended in disaster one year before the story when he was forced to choose between his budding career and her.

Sirius Black: Best friend, flatmate and former teammate of James Potter. Disavowed from MI5 after a disastrous protection mission that ended up in the death of the witness who would have brought down a drug lord with very strong ties to terrorism. Escaped further punishment due to father's influence. Desperate to get back into service and prove that the death of the witness wasn't his fault. Often found in the same bar as Lily drinking away his sorrows.

Petunia Dursley: Older sister of Lily Evans, disapproves of pretty much her entire lifestyle.


	2. The Trained Agents

**This is my new updated version of the chapter, it has the same plot but in my opinion the writing is better. Plus if you're a fan of the story it's longer so that's good :P**

The footsteps were getting closer towards her position and she tensed up, trying to get herself into as small as possible so that he wouldn't discover her hiding place. The footsteps stopped; she tensed, her pulse increasing rapidly as she watched the expensive leather shoes praying for her own sake that they would continue on their way. _Please God, I swear I'll go to Mass this weekend, just please don't let him find me…_she prayed.  
>"Evans?"<p>

Her head banged against the underside of the desk and she swore. Gingerly rubbing the sore spot she reluctantly poked her head out to see Potter staring curiously down at her.

"I… lost an earring," she said after a long awkward pause and immediately remembered she hadn't put any on that morning.

"Hate to break it to you but I think you lost the other one as well," he said with a faint smile before continuing on his way to the water cooler. Lily closed her eyes and hid back under the desk, burying her head in her hands._ At least I don't need to go to Mass on Sunday. Yeah Lily, this really is a win situation for you_.

"Evans!"

Her head jerked up again and slammed once more against the desk. Lily let out a yelp of pain and crawled out on her hands and knees to face an irate man in his early forties glaring down at her with all of the force his one good eye could muster.

"What the hell are you doing under a desk?" he barked, "I'm still waiting on three case reports that need filing from you and this is how I find you spending your working hours!"

"I lost an earring," she tried to defend herself as she scrambled to her feet, "They'll be on your desk before I go home tonight, I swear. I just got caught up with-"

"I don't care," he snapped, "Just make sure they get done."

With that, he limped away, leaving Lily to slump defeated against the wall holding her sore head. Just as she thought it couldn't get any worse, Potter walked past shooting her a sympathetic look, having clearly witnessed the whole exchange._ I'm definitely not going to Mass_. She trudged slowly back to her cubicle and collapsed into her chair; a messy pile of paperwork was sitting in wait for her on her desk. It was just another day in paradise.

* * *

><p>James couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he walked back towards his office, knowing that despite what Lily said it was him she was hiding from and therefore his fault that she was getting it from Moody.<p>

"Potter!"

_Speak of the devil…_He turned on his heel to face his boss and raised an eyebrow. "Something I can help you with?"

The older man caught up to him and slapped a casefile into his hands before continuing on his way, calling over his shoulder, "Read it over, there's a briefing scheduled at 1100."

James looked down at the file and called back, "Yes, sir…"

He unlocked his office door and strode inside, dropping the file casually onto the polished desk before taking a seat. Taking a sip from his glass of water, his mind returned to the redheaded junior agent. Old memories resurfaced making him smile to himself; the time in Berlin when they'd been posted on the same mission just after graduating from training; or the time in the hotel in Edinburgh when the bed got broken… Christ, that had been embarrassing to explain to the receptionist; or-

A bang on the window dragged him out of his daydreams and Moody yelled from the other side in the corridor, "I said get reading, Potter!"

* * *

><p>The cold air bit into any exposed skin as Sirius walked hurriedly towards the bar. Pushing open the door he welcomed the warmth that immediately flowed through his bones as he stepped inside. With a nod to one of the other regulars, he walked up to the bar and took his usual seat, motioning for a drink to the bartender.<p>

Tom slid a beer over to him and crossed his arms, observing the bedraggled looking man before him. Sirius took a gulp and shrugged, "What?"

"Been seeing a lot of you in here the past couple of weeks," Tom replied giving him a knowing look.

Sirius shrugged again, "Marlene isn't speaking to me again. James works late a lot. Don't like being stuck in the flat myself that's all. What are you complaining for anyway, more money for you."

Tom chuckled, "No complaints here, God knows I need the extra cash these days." He moved away to serve another customer, leaving Sirius to stare round the bar. His eyes stopped on the newest customer and with a grin he got up from his seat and moved over to the one next to her.

The fiery liquid burned the back of her throat, a familiar feeling these days, as she slammed the shot glass back down onto the cracked wooden counter. Another shot was placed swiftly and silently in front of her and she proceeded to make short work of that one as well. This was one of the few reasons she actually liked this dump of a bar: fast service, no one to bother you.

"Shouldn't you be giving that up?" came a friendly voice from the stool beside hers. Twinkling grey eyes pierced hers from underneath an unruly mane of dark hair and she smiled and shook her head. The movement combined with the fast intake of alcohol caused the room around her to start to spin and she clutched at the bar to keep herself upright. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she replied in a semi-dignified tone:

"I can handle my alcohol thank you very much, Mr Black. Besides, I don't officially go on duty for another 13 hours." _Plenty of time to stagger home to my horrible little flat and pass out on the couch. And the cat… need to remember to feed the cat this time_.

Sirius grinned at his ex-colleague and shook his head as he turned towards the bartender and motioned for another round. Sneaking a look at Lily, he saw her long red hair was tied back in a loose ponytail where several errant strands had escaped to hang messily round her face. There were dark circles underneath her piercing emerald eyes he noted, with a brief flash of concern. She wasn't even trying to hide them with make-up anymore. His gaze wandered lower. She'd also definitely lost weight since he'd first met her and unfortunately in all the wrong places. _James is a bastard_, he thought shaking his head slightly. His eyes moved back up to her face to find her staring at him with a strange expression on her pale face, somewhere between affront and amusement.

"Wondering if the stories he's told you are true?" she asked, a smirk turning up the corners of her lips as she swayed precariously on the rickety bar stool.

"What stories?" he asked innocently, hiding the grin threatening to split his face at the few he could remember.

She rolled her eyes and leant forwards on the bar, "Come off it, Black, you're roommates, best friends since the year dot. Knowing Potter I'd say about… a quarter of them are true."

Picking up his bottle of beer, Sirius raised an eyebrow and leant in closer, pretence gone, "So… Is the one about the balcony true?"

She laughed despite herself, "Oh, yeah."

Sirius let out a low whistle and joined in with her laughter before taking a swig of beer. James was a lucky bastard. "Tough day at work?"

"Like you wouldn't believe, I had to stay three hours later just to get all the reports done and Moody won't get off my back, he's been riding me like you wouldn't believe," she moaned, downing her drink in a few gulps.

Sirius snickered, "There's an image."

Lily shot him a look of disgust, "That's not what I meant." She shuddered, "I honestly can't think of anyone worse."

"Me think the lady doth protest too much," Sirius replied raising his eyebrows as he started on his next drink, "So you'd take me over Moody?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "If someone held a gun to my head and made me choose, I'd go with you yeah."

"Hmmm…" His eyes glinted with mischief. "Say this person is still holding the gun to your head, and he asks you if you'd pick me or James?"

"Urgh, Sirius," she warned and he held up his hands.

"Just an innocent hypothetical question, no need to get upset. But if you had to choose one of us, who would it be?" he asked smirking as his hair fell into his eyes, "Don't worry; your answer is not a binding contract. When you say my name I won't immediately drag you off to my lair."

She snorted with laughter. "You're awfully sure of yourself."

Sirius gave her a look of disbelief and motioned to his body, "Come on, love, I've got good reason to be!"

Lily laughed and Sirius smiled as he took a swig of his beer, his mind drifting back to the balcony story. _Stupid, lucky bastard._

* * *

><p>Right now, James Potter was feeling anything but lucky. He'd read the casefile a dozen times since the briefing, each time hoping that some magical force would change the name that jumped out at him from the page but after the 13th time he'd sighed and thrown the documents back down onto the desk. Clearly someone was having a good laugh at his expense right now, he thought, rubbing his eyes. This assignment was going to be hell. A loud beeping noise made him jump and spill the hot coffee in his hand onto his lap. Swearing, James jumped to his feet and desperately tried to dry the spreading stain at the same time as keeping the now burning hot fabric away from his crotch. He pulled the offending beeper out of his belt and swore again, only just refraining from throwing it across the room.<p>

"Dammit, Sirius!"

* * *

><p>Back in the bar, Lily clutched hold of Sirius' arm, tears of laughter streaming down her face at a joke she normally would have just rolled her eyes at. He was nearly as drunk and grinned as he lapped up the attention.<p>

"Tell it again!" she begged, hiccupping. A gust of cold air behind her made her shiver and she turned to yell at the newest customer who was banging his boots on the welcome mat trying to get the snow off. The words died in her throat as her eyes focused on the tall, dark-haired agent glaring over at her drinking partner.

James looked up, his eyes immediately going to Sirius' usual spot and instead settling on the gorgeous red-head beside him. Dammit, was she following him or something? Steeling himself for a verbal assault at the least, James walked towards the couple.

"You want a lift home I take it," he said stiffly, his eyes fixed on Sirius inwardly vowing to kill his scruffy friend later. A strange noise from his other side caused him to involuntarily turn to look at Lily, who sat with her hand clamped over her mouth, eyes tearing up, shoulders heaving. He was about to uncomfortably enquire if she was alright before he noticed where her eyes were directed: the coffee stain. Eventually she couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into more giggles.

"Have an accident on the way here, Potter?" she sniggered, slurring slightly on his surname.

Sirius, ever the loyal friend, clocked the stain and started to guffaw loudly, "It looks like someone else was thinking about your balcony experiences, Evans!"

His face burning red, James grabbed Sirius by the collar and started pulling him towards the door. Opening it, he turned back to Lily and blurted out, "I spilled my coffee!"

"Whatever you say, Potter," she snickered as he hustled Black out to the car park.

Sirius pushed James away as he continued to haul him across the icy concrete and looked at him indignantly, "You should have offered her a lift as well."

"That'll be right," James scoffed unlocking the brand new Aston Martin. Stereotypical he knew, but hey, the cool cars and gadgets were what really motivated men to join up. Weren't they? Well there was the sense of duty to Queen and country and all that as well of course... but mainly it was the cars. "And have her throwing up all over the back seat? Lily's more than capable of getting herself home, she's a trained agent."

* * *

><p>A faint ringing in the distance broke into her dreams the next morning. Moaning, Lily rolled over into what she thought was the other side of the bed and instead rolled off the beaten up old couch onto the cold hardwood floor of her living room.<p>

"Owwww…" she moaned lying spread eagled, her hair in a red fan around her head. The ringing was louder now and wouldn't stop. The telephone… She pulled herself onto her hands and knees and crawled over to the coffee table where she fumbled for the receiver.

"Whoever this is, you'd better be calling to tell me my flat is on fire," she threatened, yawning widely. There was no reply. "Hello?"

"You're an hour and a half late for our briefing." The stony familiar voice caused her eyes to widen and she jumped to her feet, searching the table frantically for her watch. 11.06. _Shit._

"I'll be right there!" she promised, not waiting to hear his response before slamming the phone down and running into the bedroom.

Scowling, James slammed his phone down and went to get more coffee. That woman would be the death of him. It was another 27 minutes before she arrived panting at his office door, wild-haired and oddly enough with mismatched shoes. His gaze travelled up from the strange fashion choice and stayed fixated on her heaving chest for several seconds before he snapped back to reality and averted his eyes.

"Sit down, Evans," he said motioning towards the chair opposite his desk. He noticed her brow furrow slightly but she made no comment as she settled down into the comfortable leather seat. He slid a file across the desk and settled back. "There's something we need to discuss."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Look, if this is about last night… and then this morning, I'm sorry, I had a bad day at work and-"

"Let's just forget about it," he interrupted looking pointedly towards the file in her hands, "We've been assigned together on the next protection detail."

A brief look of horror, similar to the one that had crossed his face the day before, flitted across hers before she masked it and opened the file. _3…2…1…_She started shaking her head and looked up at him, disbelief evident in her eyes.

"There's been some kind of mistake here," she said, looking baffled, "I don't know why I've been assigned to this mission… it actually looks important."

He pushed aside his impatience. "I can assure you, I was at the mission briefing yesterday afternoon and it seems as though you've impressed someone."

_More like really spectacularly pissed someone off_, she thought looking down at the page again. "But … shouldn't Meadowes be on a case like this with you? I mean, she has more experience."

"Yes she does," James replied through gritted teeth, "But you've been assigned to me and we just need to accept it. Now…" He cleared his throat. "We'll be posing as Mr and Mrs Frank and Alice Longbottom for the duration of the mission. The safehouse is still undergoing all of the necessary security fittings but our back-up team is in place."

"Who's on back-up?" Lily asked.

"Agents Lupin and Pettigrew," he answered with a shrug, "Not worked with them personally but they've both got good records. You'll probably meet them at the briefing tomorrow morning."

"Oh," she replied, at a loss for words. Being married… to James… she was literally living a nightmare.

* * *

><p>"You're going to get her taken off of you for neglect!" Petunia scolded over the banging noises, she filled up the food bowl and gave the grateful tabby cat a wary glance, before glaring over at Lily. Lily ignored her sister's nagging and continued banging her forehead against the tabletop, muttering death threats under her breath.<p>

"Stop that!" Petunia commanded, "I'm getting a headache just looking at you!"

"What am I going to do, Tuney?" Lily complained. She rested her cheek against the cool surface and turned pleading eyes on the older blonde who rolled her eyes.

"You're going to do your job," she replied firmly, "Remember that, Lily? Remember the old days when you actually did your job?"

"You're meant to comfort me," Lily grumbled sitting upright in her chair at last, "I'm at a crisis point in life."

"Where would that get you?" she scoffed, picking up her handbag, "Nowhere. I'll see myself out. Don't be late for dinner again on Sunday."

Lily waited until she heard the door slam then made her way over to the menu drawer.

"What'll it be tonight then, Minnie?" she asked the cat now staring at her from the doorway, "Thai or Indian? Thai? Good choice, we had an Indian the night before last after all." Picking up the phone, she pressed speed dial number four and waited impatiently for them to answer. Running a hand through her hair, she suddenly sat up straight as she heard the deep voice on the other end of the line.

"Evans? You there? Is something wrong?"

"Umm... no, nothing's wrong," she said weakly, "Just hit the wrong number. See you at the office."

"Wait, don't hang up. I think we need to clear the air a bit before we start the mission," James said awkwardly, a far cry from his normal cocky self. Of course, Lily knew the other side of him.

"I was just about to order Thai food," she replied hesitantly.

A pause followed.

"Any chance we could make it Indian?"

* * *

><p>"My flat's going to stink now," she said ruefully looking at the empty cartons scattered on the table and the congealing leftovers slopped on the dirty plates. James chuckled.<p>

"It stinks anyway," he remarked and dodged a couch pillow she tossed at him, "It's that bloody cat!"

"Don't insult Minnie!" Lily reprimanded crossly, "She's a very clean cat, with impeccable manners."

"It's a shame her owner doesn't pick up some of those habits," he shot back with a smile. Lily found herself smiling in return and felt the unwanted memories start flooding back. A heavy silence settled in the tiny living room, broken by James, looking a lot more nervous than he had five minutes ago.

"This mission could potentially go on for years," he stated, "It's the most important protection detail we've had for years and we were picked for it, out of the whole department. The bosses obviously think we're a good match for this."

"Either that or they hate us," Lily replied raising her eyebrows. Considering the current slide her career was taking she was willing to put her money on that option.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad, am I? It's not like I shredded your clothes and threw them out of a fourth floor window."

She blushed, "Oh good you still remember that... I maintain that you deserved it."

"That suit was Armani!" James groaned, reliving the memory, "Cost me a bloody fortune!"

"Serves you right for being such a twat," she said laughing.

James chuckled, "Well, as long as you promise not to cut up any more of my suits I think we may just make it out of this one without killing each other."

**Hope you enjoyed it :) Please let me know if you think it's an improvement! **


	3. Moving Day

They had come for her during the night. Masked men had pulled her from her bed and she had been pushed into the back of a car, a black bag over her head preventing her seeing anything else. She had put up a struggle but in the end, they had been stronger and had the advantage of surprise on their side. Her mind had been running through a list of all the possible suspects when she had heard his voice, panicked and younger than his years.

"Who's there? Someone please get me out of here," he had whimpered.

"Rob?" she whispered, unable to keep the terror from her voice, "Rob, is that you?"

"Marly!" Her name came out as a strangled sob, "What's happening? What's going on?"

"No talking!" came a hiss from behind them and a gag was forced into her mouth. From the sounds of things - or lack of it - the same had happened to her brother. The vehicle hit a bump in the road, sending her forward and sprawling across another body. This one was cold.

* * *

><p>Remus Lupin grabbed his briefcase and cautiously stepped out of the blue Ford Fiesta parked in his new driveway, the cold air biting at his face. He pulled his scarf more securely around his neck in an attempt to block out the unusually harsh January weather and dashed up to the house slipping a little on the icy driveway as he went. As expected, even the short period in the cold air took its toll on his damaged lungs and he had to lean heavily against the wall inside, his whole body shaking, as he coughed violently.<p>

A glass of water was pushed into his hand and through the tears in his eyes, Remus could make out the shape of Pettigrew, the junior agent assigned to him for back-up… the thought would have made him laugh if he'd been able. They were quite the pair, hapless Pettigrew and him with… he trailed off mid-thought. _Best not to dwell on it too much._

"Thanks," he managed, sipping at the lukewarm liquid with a faint expression of distaste, "Anything to report?"

The younger man shook his head earnestly, "Nothing, sir."

The coughing finally stopping, Remus handed back the glass, "Well, tonight is where that all changes."

* * *

><p>In…Out. In…Out. Her laboured breathing was the only sound in the dank, dirty cell. Light streamed in from one small window high up in the stone wall: blinding her. Cold red eyes surveyed their prey from the other side of the tiny room, watching as her chest rose painfully with each inhalation of the cold, stale air. Her head lolled back at a painful angle while crimson blood trickled into her straw coloured hair from the deep gash on her forehead. He looked down at Lestrange's hand thoughtfully and saw her blood smeared across the family crest ring on his left ring finger.<p>

"You have gleaned no useful information from her, Rodolphus," he stated, his eyes once again settling on the dying woman. His calm demeanour was no comfort to the terrified servant, who knew from experience that very different emotions were running under close under the surface.

"My Lord, we know that the child is in the protection of the British secret services-"

"A fact that was brought to my attention three days ago," he snapped, the carefully conjured mask of calm already cracking as anger flashed through his eyes and his lip curled in disgust.

A soft groan escaped the prisoner's lips, distracting him momentarily. Slowly he walked towards her and grasped a handful of blood stained hair to pull her head forwards. Her eyes flickered open and immediately registered fear before she tried to mask it, unsuccessfully. He gave a cold smile and whispered;

"Where is the boy?"

Marlene coughed; a thin trail of blood ran from the corner of her mouth and down her chin.

"I told you," she rasped. Each word was agony as she stared into the face of the man she had spent her whole career trying to bring down, knowing now as her vision darkened that her goal would never be reached. That hurt more than the countless injuries she had received over the past 24 hours. A hell of a lot more.

"They moved him to Paris last week…"

"You're lying," he hissed, pulling sharply on her hair as the anger coursed through his veins. It felt soft in his hands and for a reason he could not explain this made him even angrier and he pulled viciously, a large clump coming free from her scalp as she let out a pained cry.

"I'm telling you the truth!" What should have come out as a scream instead became a croak, her voice too weak from torture to manage anything more. Marlene had been a beautiful woman, strong and proud in the typical McKinnon way, but now tears shone in her eyes and a sob escaped her as she caught sight of the lifeless body of her youngest brother lying in the corner of the cell. His eyes, the same shade of blue, were wide and glassy. Her eyes made contact with those of her captor and determination set in.

"Go to hell," she growled, and as her final act of defiance; spat in his face.

A loud roar of rage tore out of his throat and he whirled round to face his cowering henchmen. Pulling the gun out of Rodolphus's jacket in one fluid motion he pressed the still hot barrel against her forehead.

As the metal burned into her skin, Marlene relished the last sensation she would ever feel as memories coursed in front of her eyes. Starting school, meeting Lily, summer holidays with her parents and brothers, meeting Sirius…

Outside in the corridor, the dark-haired guard flinched as the sound of a gunshot echoed through the corridor and sent up a silent prayer to whoever was listening that he wouldn't be next.

Rodolphus jumped as his master thrust the gun back at him and strode out of the cell. As he slid the gun back into its holster Rodolphus let his eyes rest on the freshest victim. Her once attractive features were now devoid of life, her eyes were wide and unseeing, her mouth lolled open. Her previously flawless skin now marred by a single hole in the centre of her forehead.

* * *

><p>If there was one lesson Lily Evans had yet to learn in her nearly 28 years of life, it was to stop hoarding. She stepped back to look at the mountains of cardboard boxes and sighed, running a hand through her long red hair. <em>Time to call in the cavalry<em>. Precisely 25 minutes later, the buzzer announced help had arrived and Lily pushed the door release and went to unlock the front door, revealing Petunia standing there complete with carrier bags full of cleaning products. Lily raised her eyebrows.

"You waited 'til you actually got inside to put the marigolds on, I see."

"I can't believe you left it this late to call me," she said briskly, ignoring her comment and pushing past Lily into the chaotic flat. She stopped as she reached the mountain of half packed boxes and her jaw dropped, "Lily!"

"What?" she protested, crossing her arms defensively. She rolled her eyes at her sister's horror-stricken look. "Okay, so it's not very well organised but-"

"This is going to take hours! When are they coming?"

Lily glanced at the clock on the wall opposite and muttered, "45 minutes."

Petunia started muttering again and marched over to the precariously balanced pile of boxes. Pulling open the first box, she glanced inside then pushed it away.

"Junk."

"You didn't even look properly!" Lily protested her heart sinking as she got the mental image of showing up in Godric's Hollow with a carrier bag full of kitchen utensils – which in her case would be three chipped bowls, a Blackpool novelty mug and a handful of assorted cutlery. _Can't wait til she gets to that box,_ Lily thought with a sigh, eyeing the small box to the side labelled "Kitchen".

"Don't just stand there, give me a hand," her sister demanded, onto her third box already. Petunia glanced up at her and tutted before going back to the boxes.

"What?" Lily demanded. She looked down at her pink pyjamas, the faded _Come to Bed_ slogan stretched across her chest stared back at her and Lily rolled her eyes, "Relax, it's just a joke."

Petunia sniffed and not for the first time it struck her younger sister as amazing how much disdain she could pack into that one innocent little action, "It's vulgar."

"It's pyjamas."

"And it's no wonder you haven't had a serious relationship in years when you walk around in clothes like that!" she snapped, shoving another box into the junk pile.

Lily bit her lip, not willing to show how much that remark had stung. After a moment of silence, she murmured, "I'll just go and change." She headed into her bedroom and leant her head against the back of the closed door, allowing last night's dream to drift back into the forefront of her mind as her eyes closed. As always when she was particularly stressed at work, it had been about Potter. It had started off in the restaurant they'd had their first date, but then everything had changed and she was brought out on a tray as James's dessert. Naked. And boy had he enjoyed that dessert.

Lily blushed and shook herself out of her daze. It had been a while since she'd had one of _those _dreams, especially one concerning James Potter. It wasn't exactly great timing, considering she was moving in with him in… she looked down at her watch, 39 minutes.

_Maybe that's why you had it._

She shook her head and walked over to her wardrobe, trying to push the unwanted thoughts out of her head.

_Are you really sure they're unwanted?_

"Shut up!" she growled pulling her wardrobe doors open.

"Don't tell me to shut up; I'm here to do you a favour!" Petunia's shrill voice snapped from the living room.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Lily yelled. She ignored her sister's continuing nagging and started pulling outfits out of the overflowing mess. She needed something that looked natural and casual that wouldn't attract attention, but at the same time wouldn't look too… well Petunia-y.

Petunia looked up from box number eight, words of disapproval ready to unleash when they died on her lips. Instead, her eyebrows knitted together and she eyed Lily with a suspicious stare as she walked into the living room fixing her earrings. The fitted green jumper brought out the colour in her eyes and for once actually went well with her dark chocolate skirt.

"Why do you look… nice?" she asked warily.

Lily glared at her, "There is absolutely no pleasing you, is there?"

* * *

><p>Sleep had evaded him the night before and it was apparent as he rubbed his tired eyes, making Sirius snigger behind him as his fingers hit against his glasses, not used to wearing them again.<p>

"Shut up," he muttered, "This day is the start of my nightmare, can I at least get some sympathy over here for once?"

His roommate barked with laughter. "You don't fool me, I've known you too long."

James glared at him, his head throbbing, "What are you talking about?"

Sirius sat up on the sofa and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "Your supposed nightmare. We both know it's a dream come true for you!"

"Talking out your arse," James said dismissively, "As usual."

"Then why were you calling her name in your sleep the other night? Having some interesting dreams by the sound of it," he challenged, eyes gleaming as James's eyes widened in surprise and horror. With a guffaw of laughter he fell back on the sofa. "I was only taking the piss… but that look confirmed all I need to know."

James opened his mouth to reply but couldn't find the words. Snapping his mouth shut again, he frowned and looked back down at the house details. The photo of the safehouse looked completely innocent – which was the point – but… boring. And scary all at the same time. Moving with Lily to a semi-detached house in the suburbs, being married to her, no more dangerous missions… the commitment. He shook his head. _Snap out of it, you're just doing your job. No need to panic now. _

Slightly annoyed that James seemed to be ignoring him, Sirius leant over towards the coffee table where the fruit bowl resided and chose his weapon as he saw James beginning to yawn. Perfect timing.

The banana flew across the kitchen and smacked the yawning James in the face at full-force. Letting out a startled yelp, he fell backwards off of the stool and landed flat on his back on the cold kitchen tiles staring up at the ceiling.

"Sirius, you bastard…" he groaned.

"Don't blame me; it was the force of gravity from that massive hole in your face that attracted the banana towards it at warp speed. There could have been no alternative solution, my friend," Sirius called from the couch, grinning as he looked away from the TV.

James picked himself up off the floor and rubbed the back of his head, feeling a lump forming. As if it hadn't been sore enough…

"I thought you'd be more upset about me leaving today," he said, mock hurt in his tone as he inspected his glasses for any signs of damage.

"Yeah, I'm devastated that you're leaving on this mysterious long-term mission. I don't know how I'm going to cope in this giant flat all by myself… with no roommate arguing over the weekly shopping… or the TV channel… or bringing girls back…" Sirius listed.

"Yeah okay you've made your point," James huffed. He set his stool upright again and hesitated as he watched Sirius staring at the television.

"You've gotten to know Evans pretty well over the past few months," he began, walking towards the living area.

Sirius looked up, mischief dancing in his eyes, as James scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well… not as well as you did, but yeah I guess. Why? You worried your new roomie isn't going to meet my standards? Understandable, they are very high."

James rolled his eyes and headed for the door as the buzzer rang loudly, "Forget it, that'll be the movers."

"If you like, she can move in here for a while and I'll break her in for you!" he yelled after him.

James through a glare over his shoulder, no hint of amusement in his hazel eyes.

Sirius sat up, sensing his friend's mood and that he'd gone over the line and got up to follow him into the hall.

"You're not thinking about getting back with her are you?" he asked, with one eyebrow raised, "Because you know as well as I do that that would be a bad idea. A really bad idea. Look how Marlene and I ended up. Hell, look how you and Lily ended up last time."

"Yeah, Sirius, I know all that. It's not an option anyway, I'm not even considering it," James assured him as he opened the front door; "Lily and I are done. End of story."

**Shorter 2nd chapter sorry :P Also, on a totally unrelated note I've recently discovered that a lot of my favourite songs remind me of HP pairings... how sad haha. 'Somebody That I Used To Know' is my definite Lily/Snape song.**


	4. Goodnight, Sweeheart

The silence stretched on for what seemed like centuries as he stared into Lily's face, his heart racing while his mouth opened and closed; doing his best goldfish impression as Sirius said. A minute stretched on before she broke the silence by throwing the keys to the moving van parked outside at him. He caught them deftly and he could have sworn a flicker of annoyance passed over her face.

"Meet you downstairs in ten minutes." The voice that came out of her mouth sounded totally normal, to her own ears anyway, despite the weird pain in her stomach. Must be coming down with something, she thought uneasily, walking back down the corridor. _Just keep lying to yourself, Lily Maybe one day you'll actually believe it._

Sirius was shaking his head in awe as James banged his forehead against the doorframe in frustration.

"Think she heard?" he asked, looking at Sirius, blinking hopefully at him through his glasses.

Letting out a bark of laughter, the other man shook his head and turned back to the television. "Prongs, of course she did, it's you we're talking about after all."

* * *

><p>Lily stared out of the window at the scenery - if you could call it that - they passed as the van trundled along towards the hotel they were staying in that night before moving to the safe house the next morning. The sick feeling she'd felt when he opened the door and said those words kept reappearing as the words replayed in her head. <em>Of course I know getting back together isn't a good idea, and it's never going to happen again. But that doesn't mean I want him to feel the same way about me... <em>She frowned and crossed her arms tightly across her chest. Never had she looked more like her sister.

James had never understood how silence could be deafening until he took the two hour long drive with a clearly-pissed-off-but-pretending-not-to-be Lily Evans. He took his eyes off the road periodically to glance at her, but she sat with her arms crossed staring straight ahead. Every now and then she'd grunt in response to his attempts at small talk.

"Miserable weather."

"Uh huh."

"See the game last night?"

"Nope."

"Remember that time Sirius-"

"Uh huh."

Finally, James slammed his foot down hard on the brake pedal causing them both to lurch forwards at the sudden stop and sending the furniture in the back crashing up against the wall.

"We need to talk," he said firmly after regaining his balance.

"Potter, we're in the middle of a fucking dual carriageway!" she shouted in response as car horns blared from the vehicles dodging past them, "Have you lost your idiot mind?"

"I am not moving this van until you agree to talk to me," James said stubbornly, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. _So this is why I started wearing contact lenses..._

Lily stared speechlessly at him as a weird sense of déjà vu washed over her. Exactly fourteen months and three days ago, he had looked at her with the same expression as he blocked her front door with his stupid designer shoes, no doubt they had cost more than she made in three months. Shaking her head as more car horns and swearing drivers sped past them, she unbuckled her seat belt.

"What are you doing?"

"Get out the way, I'm driving."

"Like hell you are!" James tightened his grip on the wheel and glared at her, though she saw the challenge in those hazel eyes. _Challenge gladly accepted. _Lunging forwards she tried to tackle him sideways out of the driver's seat and failed miserably, only succeeding in smacking her head on the window hard enough to see stars and send the horn blaring as she got her elbow caught in an awkward position.

"You're crushing me!"

"Get out of the way!"

Sirens coming up behind them went unnoticed as Lily ended up on his lap, trying to push him onto the passenger seat. A tap on the window made them both snap round. A policeman in his mid-forties with black hair and grey eyebrows motioned for them to roll it down.

"Shit... get off me!" James groaned.

"I can't, my foot's stuck!" Lily hissed trying to wriggle out of the way, "This is all your fault!"

"If you can't get off at least stop moving around so much!" he half-pleaded. This position was bringing back way too many unwanted memories as the scent of her coconut shampoo wafted over him.

Lily smirked, "Oh is that what-"

"That's the gearstick!" he snapped as the policeman knocked harder on the glass. Struggling to get his hand out from underneath her leg, he finally rolled it down with his best charming smile.

"What can I do for you, Officer?"

He glared at the two agents. "Most people at least pull into the hard shoulder."

Lily snorted with laughter and James with his hands free finally managed to push her back into her own seat.

"This isn't what it looks like," he said, "We're agents with Military Intelligence and we have somewhere we need to be as a matter of extreme urgency, so…"

"Badges." The officer looked bored, as if he'd heard the story a thousand times. Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust as she caught sight of the crumbs in his beard before her attention was brought back to the fact that since they were embarking on an undercover mission, their badges had been confiscated to avoid being picked up by the wrong people.

James faltered and glanced at her. She leaned forward, "We don't have our badges with us at the moment but sir, my colleague here apologises and-"

"No I don't, it was your fault," James argued.

"You stopped in the middle of the road!"

"Shut up and get out of the car," the policeman snapped, losing patience with the strange couple, "You're coming back to the station on charges of dangerous driving."

James stared at him in disbelief then sighed dramatically, "Alright, officer, you've got us. I guess we need to come with you until we can get a call through to our superiors. What should we do with the car?"

"Give me the key-"

He cut himself off by letting out a shout of anger as James floored the accelerator and the engine roared to life, sending the decrepit old van speeding away down the dual carriageway.

"Oh shit, I think you ran over his foot!" Lily cried peering into the wing mirror as James overtook a red Toyota. He waved her off impatiently, concentrating on overtaking the next car.

"He'll be fine!"

* * *

><p>Lying across the leather sofa, Sirius looked around the living room already bored without his best friend beside him. He reached for the remote control and flicked through the channels, grumbling under his breath about how there was never anything good on these days. Leaving it on channel one, he settled back and paid half-hearted attention to the news story, something about one of the Korea's by the sounds of it. Sitting with his feet up on the coffee table, a flashing light caught Sirius's attention away from Breakfast News. Grabbing a golf club from beside the sofa, he leaned slightly over to his left and pressed the button on the answer machine. No need to get up if there was another option. A soft voice echoed around the room making his ears prick up.<p>

"Sirius? If you're there pick up... I guess not then. Listen, I know we didn't part on good terms but I've been thinking about what you asked me the last night we saw each other and I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what I said and I think I just freaked out a bit… it was so sudden and from you of all people I just wasn't expecting it. Maybe we could meet up for a drink tomorrow night and talk about it face to face? Call me back."

The woman hadn't left her name but she hadn't needed to. Not needing to think twice about it, he picked up his jacket and ran out of the flat.

* * *

><p>Lily trudged through the garish corridors, the walls papered with a horrible yellow and purple design while the carpet was so old that it's colour was now indeterminable. James had gone ahead while she placed a call back to headquarters and she was starting to regret ever agreeing to take on this mission. Oh who was she kidding, like she'd had a choice. Her shoulder started to ache from the bag slung over her shoulder, pressing down on an old wound. She finally reached her room for the night and stopped, seeing the door was slightly ajar. Her hand went instinctively to her hip, searching for her sidearm and she swore quietly upon realising she'd left it in the van. The door swung open fully.<p>

"Terrible language, Evans," James tutted, smirking at her from the doorway. He stood already clad in the hotel dressing gowns... and only that by the looks of things.

She gave him a look of disgust as she relaxed, "What are you doing in my room?"

"I was about to ask you the same question," he replied, raising his eyebrows.

Lily groaned and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Looks like the hotel got my information mixed up, I'll go down and check again."

"Hold on a minute, think about it; our cover is already meant to be in place, _darling,_" he said quietly pulling her back into the room and shutting the door, "Moody's probably booked us a double room. What happily married couple books two single rooms when checking into a hotel after all?"

She glowered at him but realised he was right and tossed her bag down. "Alright. Who's sleeping on the floor then?"

James had already made himself comfortable on the king size bed taking up most of the room and was halfway through chewing the mint left on his pillow as he looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean? We're a married couple now, _remember?_ Might as well get used to acting like it, Evans."

"That's Alice to you, _Frank,_" Lily huffed, crossing her arms. The idea that she'd be sharing a bed with him at the safehouse had never even crossed her mind. "But seeing as we got into that fight earlier about your terrible driving, I think it actually makes sense that you take the floor. To keep up our cover and all that."

"Well I'm not moving, but you feel free to make yourself a little nest on the floor, _sweetheart," _he said smiling sweetly at her.

"Fine!" she snapped, yanking the covers from the bed, "I will!"

"Hey, come on now, I'm going to get cold," James complained.

"Tough luck," she growled, setting up her 'nest'.

The night passed very slowly, both of them tossing and turning in their respective sleeping places; James too cold, Lily too uncomfortable on the thin carpet covered in questionable stains. At about three o'clock, Lily sat up with a frustrated sigh and gathered the quilt in her arms. Standing beside the bed, she snapped, "Move over, you're taking the whole bed up. Christ, please tell me you're wearing something underneath that dressing gown!"

James grinned and shuffled over to make room for her. "Nothing you haven't seen before. And come to think about it, you did a lot more than look- ow!" He rubbed his chest where she'd elbowed him roughly. "Uncalled for."


	5. Old Wounds

The room was cold and dark, despite the fires crackling in the lamps bolted high up in all four corners. The flickering lights cast long shadows across the stone floor only adding to the heightened sense of dread that slowly filled the room as the silence stretched out. Six statue-like figures stood in a semi-circle around a kneeling servant waiting for their master, their faces hidden by grotesque silver masks.

The blond man kneeling in the centre of the room kept his grey eyes fixed resolutely on the nearest block of stone. A crack ran from the centre to stop just before the furthest away corner. The more he stared at the floor, the more he thought he could see bloodstains forming.

The chanting started quietly yet still made him flinch as the eerie noise grew louder and more fervent from the masked figures behind him. He risked a glance upwards in time to see a hooded figure make its way towards the throne like chair situated at the far end of the room. His heartbeat noticeably increased, his palms grew sweaty and he wiped them on his own set of plain black robes. The chanting grew to its loudest point then immediately stopped as the hooded figure raised a pale hand.

"You bring news?" came a cold voice, the speaker's face hidden from view.

"Y-Yes, my Lord," he croaked.

"Then speak, Lucius," his leader ordered.

The blond cleared his throat and wiped his palms on his thighs again before speaking: "The boy has been moved… under the protection of the government, my Lord."

"I have known this for some time," the silky voice spoke, a thin edge of anger lacing it. "If you have called me away from business to tell me this, I may find myself losing my patience with you, Lucius."

"No, my Lord," Lucius replied, his voice coming out in nothing more than a squeak, "I know the identity of one of the agents guarding the infant. His name is Peter Pettigrew; he has been known to accept bribes for official information in the past. I think we can break him, my Lord."

"You 'think'?" he sneered. Rising up from his chair he hissed, "Find him and have him brought to me."

"At once, my Lord!" Lucius promised, bowing so low that his long blond hair trailed across the floor.

Beneath the hood, red eyes glinted maliciously and he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

* * *

><p>Sitting in the dilapidated armchair by the window, Lily jerked upright as she felt her head droop down, the beginnings of sleep overtaking her. In the doorway to the bathroom James chuckled as he brushed his teeth.<p>

"Get a good sleep last night then, Evans?"

"You know fine well I didn't," she growled, rubbing her tired eyes, "You stole the covers so I was freezing all night, the rain was battering off the windows and when that finally stopped all I could hear was that god awful couple in the room next door!"

"They were rather energetic considering the time of night," James replied with a smirk, "And I did not steal the covers. Although it would only have been fair considering you had them to yourself on the floor until three."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't."

"Di-" Lily stopped herself and turned to glare at him, her green eyes flashing with annoyance, "Real mature."

"You started it," he countered.

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did.

"No I- shut up!"

He laughed and threw her a new set of car keys.

"Registration plate is N33 LTM, you're looking for a black Ford Escort Mark III," he said as he picked up their bags from the bed, "I'll meet you down by the front door in five minutes."

Lily nodded and disappeared out of the room. James shouldered the bags and quickly scanned the room for any forgotten items. His eyes stopped in their search on a black piece of lace sticking out from underneath the bed.

* * *

><p>Lily found the car no problem and grinned in satisfaction at the monstrosity that sit in the parking space before her: Potter was going to have an aneurysm when he found out this was his new vehicle for the foreseeable future. Reversing out of the tight space, she pulled up just in time to see James sauntering towards her. Rather than the look of disappointment she was expecting to see at his first sight of the car, he was wearing a gleeful smirk. She frowned. That wasn't good.<p>

He opened the passenger door and slid in after throwing the bags carelessly into the boot.

"Why do you look so cheery?" she asked suspiciously, watching him as he fixed his seat belt.

"Can't a man smile without a reason anymore?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, but you aren't smiling; you're smirking. Very different things."

"If you say so. Say, Evans… you haven't forgotten anything have you?" he continued the innocent tone of voice as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye while she fixed the mirror.

"No…"

"You're sure? You're totally sure that you didn't forget to pick anything up that you might have left on the floor last night?"

"Just tell me whatever you're getting at, Potter!" she snapped. He drove her insane when he was like this.

James couldn't help a snort of laughter as he fished into his jacket pocket and produced the black lace, "Not my favourites, but definitely still a crowd pleaser."

A look of horror crossed Lily's face as she snatched the underwear from him. James's laughter died in his throat as the look was soon replaced by a smirk of her own as she gingerly handed him them back.

"Clearly. I'm sure their owner would appreciate your appreciation." She started up the engine and turned to smile at his look of confusion. "They aren't mine, Potter."

It was his turn to look horrified and he swore loudly before opening the door and throwing them out of the car, accidentally catching an elderly woman walking past in the face who let out a scream.

"Shit- Drive, Evans, drive!" James yelled, slamming the door shut. Two hotel porters had rushed over to the distressed pensioner and she was pointing at the car.

Laughing so hard her ribs hurt, Lily floored the accelerator and the car lurched into life and sped onto the motorway. "You're such a pervert, Potter."

He wiped his hands on his jacket with a look of disgust, "Consider me chastised."

"That'll be the day," Lily replied shaking her head.

The next few miles passed in silence before she spoke up again. "How did Sirius take the news about you moving out?"

James, surprised at the topic, shrugged, "As well as he always takes bad news, he makes jokes about it and then just stops mentioning it altogether. He'll be fine without me in any case."

"Hmm I'm not so sure," Lily replied with an amused tone, "You two are so close people at work actually believed the rumour I-" She stopped herself immediately and her face began to blush red.

His brow knitted together in a frown, James asked, "What rumour?"

"What? Oh nothing, I got you mixed up with someone else," she said feebly, "Do you want to put the radio on?"

"What rumour?" he insisted.

"Potter, I said I got you mixed up with someone else okay, just drop it!" she snapped, her face growing more and more crimson.

"What did you tell people about me?" James demanded, his voice getting higher.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Fine, but remember it was just after we broke up… I wasn't exactly feeling friendly towards you."

"Do you consider the way you act around me now as friendly?" he questioned, still frowning.

"Well, compared to a year ago yes I do. Anyway, just after we broke up… I was talking to Marlene and it was around one of the times she and Sirius had fallen out-"

"Evans, get to the point!" he said impatiently.

She glared at him but carried on, "We started a rumour that the two of you – you and Sirius – were in a secret gay relationship."

"Fucking hell, Evans!" he swore angrily, "That could have gotten me fired!"

Lily rolled her eyes but had the grace to look a little ashamed, "No it wouldn't, you know Moody doesn't care about that kind of thing, otherwise Fenwick wouldn't be in such a high position. But it was a little harsh…"

"_A little harsh_?" he scoffed, "That's just damn right vindictive!"

"Alright, alright!" she said, annoyed, "You weren't exactly Mr Innocence either."

"I did what I thought was best for both of us and you know it," James shot back. The mood in the car had gotten distinctively tense and uncomfortable as old wounds were reopened.

"You did what was best for you, don't try and pretend you thought of my feelings," she said quietly before turning on the radio and falling silent.

* * *

><p>"Marlene! Marlene, open the door, it's me!" Sirius's hands ached from pounding on the front door. Her old banger of a car was sitting in the driveway and she hated walking anywhere when she could just drive… she had to be in.<p>

"Marlene!" he hollered. With no reply, he headed round the back and resumed banging and shouting.

"Marlene! I got your message, please let me in!"

His frustration bubbled over and with his next bang on the door he misjudged the distance and his fist went through the glass pane.

"Fuck!" he yelped. A large piece of glass was embedded in his palm and was starting to bleed profusely. Yet still there was no answer from the house. Something in the back of Sirius's mind told him something was seriously wrong as he cautiously reached through the broken window and, finding the keys still in the lock inside, turned them and pushed the door open. His boots crunched on the glass as he stepped inside.

"Hello? Anyone here?" he called. The silence inside was deafening and he made his way through to the living room. His pulse sped up and he swallowed. Furniture was turned over and papers had been flung haphazardly across the floor. A broken plate and the remainder of the cereal that had been in it decorated the carpet two feet away from him. Grabbing the nearest weapon (a table lamp), he moved towards the stairs and crept up them on a course for the bedroom. The door was already open and he burst in, lamp brandished, only to see a similar mess and no Marlene. A large bloodstain attracted his attention and it felt as though his heart had stopped altogether.

Scrawled in the scarlet liquid, someone had written: _Job 14:4_

His blood ran cold at the familiar scene. They were back.

* * *

><p><strong>Would love it if you could leave a quick review to let me know how I'm progressing :) Things are going to start getting faster in the next chapter or two, I'll have it up next weekend if all goes well!<strong>


	6. Honey, We're Home!

**Mrs. Grint-Cozart-Felt: Thanks for your review, six days hopefully isn't too long a wait for you!**

**apla-xamogelase: Thanks for your review, I'm starting my summer placement soon so updates probably won't get any faster until August I'm afraid. Lol don't worry, the rating will be going up before the story is finished ;) That's all I'm saying.**

**Enjoy!**

Alastor Moody was not a happy man. Ordinarily, this could be said of him most days but today especially so. He limped through the waiting area, ignoring the calls from the uptight blonde secretary and burst into the office, angry snarl already in place. Dumbledore looked up at him from the stack of reports and smiled welcomingly, as if he had been sitting waiting for him. _No doubt he was, the ridiculous all-knowing-_

"Alastor, please take a seat. We have a lot to discuss."

"Damn right we do," Moody snapped lowering himself down into the soft leather seat opposite the old man, "What the hell's this about my agents being taken out of action? And for God knows how long on some fool's errand no less!"

"I do not consider this particular task worthy of fools, my friend," he replied gravely. Steepling his fingers, he looked sternly at his subordinate.

"James and Lily are-"

"They are my agents!" Moody exploded, unable to keep silent in the face of such absurdity, "Any transfers have to be authorised through me! Potter was meant to be my lead on Operation Jupiter, now I need to go through the training process all over again with Prewett. The first I know about it is when the briefing that was meant to be for _ my_ operation turned into that farce! You've set me back months, Albus!"

"If you would let me continue, all will be explained."

Moody grumbled and motioned for him to go on.

"The protection of the asset is crucial to the ongoing security of our nation, Alastor." The words were careful and deliberated, exactly what Moody had come to expect from the leader of Military Intelligence Section Five ever since he had taken over from old friend Gellert Grindelwald sixteen years previously.

"I regret that I have not involved you thus far, and I regret that I cannot involve you much now." He raised a hand to stem Moody's next tirade. "I can only assure you that I have my reasons and implore that you understand how important it is to have your co-operation on these matters."

Moody shifted in his seat, grumbling, "You know you can count on me, Albus. But I do not appreciate-"

"Of course, I understand!" Dumbledore assured with a bright smile, getting to his feet – a clear sign the meeting was reaching its end, "All I ask is for patience until the time is right."

Rising to his feet, Moody nodded, though still angry, "Just don't wait long, Albus. I want my agents back in one piece."

* * *

><p>The car pulled into the final cul-de-sac and Lily scanned the house numbers before announcing, "Number six… pull into the next driveway on the left."<p>

Sliding into the drive of number eight, James set the handbrake and turned off the engine. The couple stared out at their new home. Before them sat a semi-detached house so ordinary looking it would have put the Dursley home to shame, surrounded at the front by a neat garden hedge with not one twig out of place.

"You ready to start your new life, Mrs Longbottom?" James asked quietly, turning slightly in his seat to look at her with a lopsided half smile.

She raised her eyebrows, still staring at the house. "Suppose."

"Try and curb your enthusiasm," he remarked opening the driver's side door and stepping out onto the driveway. Slamming the door behind him, he searched in his pocket for the key.

It had taken months of preparation to get to this point… all Lily felt as she looked at the house was a slight sense of anti-climax. This was the infamous base they'd been lectured on for the past month? _Well, I suppose the whole point is that it's meant to look inconspicuous, _she thought as she got out of the car. James fell into step beside her as they strolled up the garden path; Lily's eyes fixed on a plump toad-like woman two houses over peering curiously at them from her kitchen window.

"Two o'clock," she muttered to James, concealing a smile.

His eyes followed hers and he shrugged, "Wave to your new neighbours, darling." He lifted his hand and offered a friendly wave to the woman who immediately averted her gaze and went back to vigorously scrubbing the dishes.

Lily smirked, the woman reminding her of another nosey blonde, as they reached the front door. Shielded from prying eyes by the porch, James pressed his index finger against what looked like their door number. The "8" slid back into the wall, revealing a touchscreen keypad and a lens in the now flattened metal plate. James keyed in his 6 digit access code and bent at the waist slightly to allow the lens to scan his right retina. Straightening back up, he offered a smile and murmured, "Now, for my next trick…"

He placed his hand in the particular position on the door knob and a low click signalled his fingerprints were valid; he pushed down and the door opened, revealing their new home to the happy couple.

"Would you like me to carry you over the threshold, sweetheart?" he offered.

"I'm fine, thanks," Lily replied dryly as she stepped inside, "I still don't see why we needed to be a _married_ couple; it's not that big of a scandal anymore."

"A child out of wedlock? Whatever would your priest say, Evans?" he said, feigning shock, "We're trying to blend in remember, people would talk in a small village like this if they heard such an immoral couple had moved in amongst them."

Lily sighed and walked further into the house, her shoes clicking on the bare wooden floorboards. _Home sweet home. _She wrinkled her nose at the particularly horrible wallpaper decorating the living room. _The least Dumbledore could have done would be to redecorate the place a bit, _she thought, turning her attention to the windows. All possible entrances to the safe house were fitted with various security devices, alarms, electric currents, bulletproof glass, nothing but the best for this particular asset. A grunt and a crash caused her to whirl round; her mind automatically locating various weapons… her shoulders sagged in relief though her heart continued to pound as she saw James swearing at the cardboard box lying on the floor with its contents spilled everywhere.

"Our stuff is already here I take it," she said bending down to help him pick up his things.

"Your powers of observation never cease to amaze me," came the reply.

Rolling her eyes, Lily straightened up and went back to exploring the house. If her memory was correct the room she was looking for should be… she came to a stop as she saw the panel on the side of the stairs. Going through the same routine as James had with the front door, Lily stepped back as a hatch opened revealing a doorway and set of stairs leading down from underneath the main stairs of the house.

"Potter!" she called over her shoulder before starting her descent down the stairs. Heavy footsteps behind her told her he was following. The stairs ended and Lily stepped down into the safe-room of the house. Sitting in amongst the surveillance and defence equipment, Remus Lupin gave the two agents a solemn nod – the seriousness of which was somewhat diminished by the toddler standing on his lap pulling at his nose and giggling.

Lily smiled and walked forwards to shake the man's hand. "Agent Lupin, thank you for meeting us. I'm Evans; this is Potter." She paused and looked at the little boy who had black hair sticking up in all directions and bright green eyes. "I take it this is the Asset?"

"He prefers Harry," Lupin replied, untangling himself and setting Harry down on the floor so that he could stand and shake their hands. "I believe we met briefly at one of the de briefings."

James nodded but his eyes were fixed on Harry.

Remus cleared his throat. "Well… you know everything you need to know so I'd better be getting back before Pettigrew starts to panic. We're doing surveillance in the house attached to this one and will be serving as your back-up team should the situation arise where you need one. There's access next door through that door-" He pointed to the door behind him, "-There. All phones are on secure lines. There's some notes on Harry's specific routines and stuff on the desk over there."

"Noted," Lily said with a nod, "It was nice meeting you again, Lupin. Don't take this the wrong way but I hope we won't meet again until after the mission is over."

He chuckled. "No offence taken, I return the sentiments. Goodbye."

He left through the door he had gestured towards earlier, leaving James and Lily with their new 'son', who stood staring at them with wide eyes. Both adults turned to each other after a moment:

"Is it just me or does he look like you?" both chorused at the same time. Their eyes narrowed.

"Look at his eyes!" James argued.

"Look at the hair!" Lily shot back.

Silence fell again as they went back to staring at the bemused toddler. James shuffled towards Lily, as if he was expecting any sudden movements to set Harry off.

"What do we do now? They didn't cover this in the briefings…" he murmured.

"How should I know?" she replied crossly.

"Don't you have a nephew about the same age?"

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Feed him? God, I hope he doesn't turn out to be like Dudley."

James snickered and she glared at him before pasting on what she hoped was a comforting smile and kneeling down in front of the small child.

"Hiya, Harry," she said softly, "Would you like something to eat?"

There was no response just another wide eyed stare, followed by an equally wide yawn. James brightened and grabbed the notes Lupin had pointed out and gave them a quick scan.

"It's time for his nap," he said, "I'm guessing there's a nursery set up upstairs somewhere… do you want to take him?"

Lily shrugged, "How hard can putting him down for a nap be, yeah I'll be fine. You start looking over things down here and I'll be back in five."

* * *

><p>"I'm afraid I can't let you in, Mr Black."<p>

Sirius banged his fists down on the welcome desk in frustration and glared at the receptionist who glared straight back at him through thick glasses.

"Myrtle, come on! I need to speak to Moody, it's a matter of life and death!" he growled.

She looked unimpressed. "You show up here every few months with some 'life or death' matter for Agent Moody and not once have you been allowed in. Do us both a favour and go home."

Sirius's mouth opened to reply when he spotted the man he sought stepping out of a lift at the other side of the lobby and he took off after him. Myrtle rose up from her chair, squeaking indignantly, "Mr Black! Security!"

"Moody!" Sirius hollered, skidding on the highly polished floor as he ran after him. Two security guards dashed after Sirius as Moody turned around. Seeing who had called him, his face hardened and he continued walking as security caught up with Sirius and wrestled him to the floor.

"Moody, I need to talk to you!" he yelled.

"I have nothing to say to you, Black," Moody snapped back as he headed for the doors.

"They've got Marlene!" he screamed desperately, his face reddening, "They left their message at her house! Job 14:4!"

Moody paused then limped back towards Sirius who had been dragged back to his feet.

"It's over, Sirius. Go back to your pathetic worthless life," he growled.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later and Lily had managed to get Harry into his bed without crying or trying to clamber back out and rushed out of the nursery before he could start again. James was waiting for her in the kitchen with two cups of coffee and grinned as she walked in.<p>

"Don't start," she warned, accepting a steaming cup, "I can't believe how difficult that one simple task was! Remind me never to have kids."

"Enjoy the brief freedom naptime offers before he wakes up and we have to figure out what to do with him before bedtime," James advised with a chuckle, "Although, according to his notes, he has a developmental delay in speech… in that he hasn't started yet."

"He can't talk?" Lily asked with raised eyebrows, "That's a bit unusual for a two year old."

"It is a bit. Hey you never know, maybe we'll have the honour of teaching him his first words," James teased, "I bet I can make him talk before you."

"Flashback from nine years ago, it's interrogation training all over again," Lily said with a smirk, "He'll talk when he's ready."

"Spoilsport," James muttered, taking a sip of coffee, "So… do you want to see our bedroom? The curiosity is killing me."

Lily screwed her face up and sighed, "Better get it over with. I'm surprised you didn't look while I was with Harry if you're that obsessed with the thought."

"I'm not _obsessed_," he protested, "I just thought it was something we should do together."

"Right, let's have a look then," she sighed again. The pair made their way upstairs, tiptoeing past Harry's room towards the room right at the end of the landing. James opened the door and stepped inside, closely followed by his reluctant 'wife'.

Lily stepped in and was relieved to find herself pleasantly surprised. The room was painted a light green colour and had a pale wooden floor with matching wardrobe and chest of drawers. The double bed took up most of the medium sized room. James belly-flopped onto it and announced in a muffled voice, "It's pretty comfy. Try it out, Evans."

She snorted at him spread eagled across the bed, "You better not be planning on sleeping like that. Although at least then I'd have an excuse to make you sleep on the sofa."

Grinning he sat up and moved over so she had room to lie down next to him. They stared up at the ceiling and James whispered, "Did you ever think we'd end up like this? Married, suburban house, respectable family car… a son with my hair and your eyes?"

Lily lay silent for a moment then turned to face him with a deadpan expression. "This may not be the right time to bring it up, James, but Harry…. You're not the father."

He laughed loudly which sent Lily into giggles before she elbowed him and motioned towards the nursery with a shushing noise.

"All my hopes and dreams smashed," he whispered, pretending to clutch at his heart dramatically, "I can't believe my own wife would do such a thing… Don't tell me it's Sirius!"

Lily giggled again and swatted his arm, "You always take it too far, Potter."

He sat up and smiled down at her and for a moment, Lily could almost imagine that it was all real. The car, the house, the marriage… all of it. Then of course, he had to spoil it.

"That's what you'll be saying tonight, sweetcheeks," he said with a wink and dashed out of the door as she launched a pillow at his retreating back.

**Reviews are appreciated :)**


End file.
